Who Was Mahsa Amini? Iranians Protest Over Woman's Death In Police Custody

Iran's government is currently facing massive backlash over its strict dress code bill from women. The protests erupted after 22-year-old Mahsa Amini died in the custody of morality police- a unit responsible for enforcing the Islamic republic’s strict dress code for women. The morality police detained the deceased for allegedly not complying with the country’s hijab regulations. 

The arrest was made on 13 September, when 22-year-old Mahsa Amini was visiting Tehran with her family. Local news reports that the morality police arrested Amini, who was with her brother, in front of the Haghani metro station in Tehran for what authorities described as an improper hijab. They informed her brother that she was detained at the morality police headquarters for an educational and orientation class.

Recently, Iran’s hardline president, Ebrahim Raisi called for stricter enforcement of the country’s mandatory dress code, which includes all women above the age of seven to wear the hijab concealing their hair and neck with a headscarf.

Protest Following Mahsa Amini Death

Iranian women are taking a strong stand against the moral policing of the regime following the death of Amini. Earlier also, women faced repression at the hands of the authorities of the regime. Women were reportedly restricted from entering government offices and banks for not following the Islamic dress code. Also, prohibited from appearing in advertisements. 

These events have brought women on the verge to raise their voices against the repressive acts of the regime. Thousands of Iranian women and men staged a protest/rallies in the capital to mark Amini's death. The protest reportedly went violent, when police fired tear gas shells to resist the crowd. Kurdish human rights group Hengaw said that at least 38 people were injured in the protest.

Who was Mahsa Amini?

Mahsa Amini was an ethnic Kurd from the western city of Saqez in Kurdistan province. She was detained outside a metro station in Tehran by the morality police. Later, she died in hospital on 16 September, Friday, after spending three days in a coma.

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